UNDP in Viet Nam

Viet Nam puts actions together for sustainable development

15 Dec 2004

Ha Noi - A National Conference opened this
morning to discuss the implementation of the National Strategic
Orientation for Sustainable Development, which was approved by the
Government last August in its Decision No.153. The two-day Conference
gathered high-level officials from the Party, the Government, the
National Assembly and provinces, as well as representatives from
businesses, research institutions, mass organizations and Donors/NGOs
communities.

The Conference includes in its second day six
forums covering the most important areas for Sustainable development in
Viet Nam. Through these forums, participants will discuss actions of
each sector and locality in order to implement the Strategy.

Viet Nam’s vision, as stated by
the First Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung, is very clear:
achieving fast, effective and sustainable development as well as
combining economic growth with social progress and equity and
environmental protection. “Being increasingly aware of the trends of our
times and, especially, stemming from the country’s actual needs, the
Vietnamese Government recognizes fundamental requirements of sustainable
development - a natural trend of vital importance to the development
process of countries, including Viet Nam,” DPM Nguyen Tan Dung noted in a
meeting with Ambassador and Heads of Diplomatic missions on the
Strategy earlier in October this year.

According
to Vice Minister Phan Quang Trung of Ministry of Planning and
Investment, this National Conference on Sustainable Development is a
good opportunity for all stakeholders to fully understand the principles
of sustainable development, discuss measures to implement the nineteen
priority areas and reach consensus on the National Action Programme to
implement Viet Nam Agenda 21.UNDP Resident Representative a.i., Mr
Subinay Nandy, welcomed Viet Nam’s launching of this Strategy as an
important step towards sustainable development. “The Viet Nam Agenda 21
marks a milestone in the country’s articulation of its development
vision. The strategy clearly identifies development priorities for the
coming decade and how to achieve sustainable development by integrating
the three pillars of economic growth, poverty reduction and
environmental protection,” he said.

“Addressing
increasing inequality is an emerging challenge facing the country. The
benefits of growth must be widely shared if development is to truly
improve the well-being of all the people, particularly the vulnerable
and marginalized groups who have benefited least from this growth.” He
also called for more active participation of people; local capacity
building and reducing pressures that urbanization/industrialization
poses on the environment”.

Speaking at the
Conference, Mr. Nguyen Viet Thong, Vice Chairman of the Party Central
Committee for Ideology and Culture reassured the special attention that
the Party pays to sustainable development. “Sustainable development is
clearly a vital direction for Viet Nam development,” said Mr. Thong.

“The
Swedish International Development Agency’s (SIDA) point of departure is
that each country is responsible for its own environment and natural
resources and that development cooperation should be based on the needs
of SIDA’s partners in cooperation,” said Mr Ian Olov Agrell, Minister,
Counselor of the Swedish Embassy. “Therefore SIDA attaches great
importance to strengthening and developing the capacity of partner
countries to analyze and take actions to solve their environmental
problems and to promote sustainable development. We believe that the
support to the Agenda 21 is an important way to develop such capacity at
all levels”.

Leading up to the conference the
Danish Ambassador, Peter Lysholt Hansen, said: ”Sustainable development
is the single most important key to continued economic growth and
permanent reduction of poverty. Denmark welcomes the Strategy for
implementation of Viet Nam Agenda 21. The environmental situation in
Viet Nam is critical, with polluted water ways, soil degradation and
increased poor air quality. This needs specific attention and Denmark
will in the coming five years support Viet Nam through our development
cooperation in environment amounting USD 42 million. The focus for this
development cooperation will be poor densely populated areas and urban
and industrial areas and marine protected areas”.

On
the challenges to Viet Nam in implementing the Strategy, DPM Nguyen Tan
Dung mentioned the low quality of economic growth; the ineffective
resource mobilization and allocation in the entire society; the weak
competitiveness of many production and business; the far-from-advanced
scientific and technological standards and emerging pressing social and
environmental issues.

The Government has
instructed ministries and provinces to quickly take the initiative in
building their own action plans to implement the Strategy, in close
collaboration with social organizations, enterprises, schools,
non-government organizations and with the participation of local people.

“The
National Assembly and People’s Council members will support the
implementation of the Strategy through our legislation development and
oversight functions” said Mr. Ho Duc Viet, Chairman of the Committee of
Science, Technology and Environment of the National Assembly in his
opening remark at the National Forum on Local Agenda 21 and
participation of major group. “It is important that the National Council
for Sustainable Development that will be established will maintain
broad consultations to ensure that voices from people are heard to
support effective implementation and monitoring,” Mr. Viet added.

The
Conference was organized by the Ministry of Planning and Investment
under the framework of the project "Formulation and Implementation of
Viet Nam’s Agenda 21", which was supported by the United Nations
Development Programme (UNDP) and the Governments of Sweden and Denmark.